St. Francis de Sales Catholic Junior School in Walton has been awarded the prestigious ADHD Friendly School award.
This award was created by Liverpool based charity ADHD Foundation, based in Liverpool. The award recognises the work undertaken by the school to accommodate children with ADHD.
St Francis de Sales Catholic Junior School has considered all of the main barriers to learning for children with ADHD. Seeking to address educational barriers, the school have installed zoned playground area.
This means children with ADHD can take part in intense physical activity to their well-equipped Sensory room.
“The staff [AT ST. FRANCIS DE SALES CATHOLIC JUNIOR SCHOOL] go above and beyond to make their lessons and their school environment enjoyable, supportive and safe spaces for their children with ADHD.”
Training manager, adhd foundation
For children with ADHD, school can be an overwhelming and stressful place. This means these much-needed adjustments are a welcome move for children with ADHD. Consequently, ADHD Friendly School award recognises the efforts made by the school to become inclusive; reflective of their ethos and culture.
Helping children with ADHD to self-regulate is a key feature of the submission for the award. This is supported by the use of assistive technology used routinely within school. Tactile resources are in every classroom, including resistance bands, weighted bean bags, vibrating pillows and calm and sensory boxes.
For instance, St. Francis de Sales Catholic Junior School considers opportunities for movement breaks and a chance to use Reaction boards. All of these resources are available for all children with ADHD.
Furthermore, there are opportunities to learn about neurodiversity for all children within the curriculum. The school also have a well-attended parent’s support group. This provides a valuable space for parents and carers to share experiences and ideas.
Colin Foley, training director of the ADHD Foundation, told Mersey Community News: “It is a privilege to work with St Francis de Sales Catholic Junior school. An enthusiastic staff team and a visionary SENDCO!
“The staff go above and beyond to make their lessons and their school environment enjoyable, supportive and safe spaces for their children with ADHD and I’m glad that they are getting the recognition for this that they deserve.”
Andrew Reidel, Headteacher of St Francis de Sales Catholic Junior School, said: “We are extremely proud to have received this award and it reflects the incredible work done throughout the school, coordinated expertly by our brilliant SENDCO.
“Many thanks to the ADHD Foundation for the invaluable guidance and support.”
The ADHD Foundation, based in Liverpool, works in partnership with communities to improve life chances for individuals with ADHD. They also work extensively to improve emotional well-being. Their end goals are to promote greater public understanding of ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and related learning difficulties.
You can learn more about the work the ADHD Foundation do here.
April Lloyd
Feature image credit – ADHD Foundation